Wistful in the Forest
by Phi ScarlaDraconia
Summary: What happens when a 30 some year old Marine veteran gets reborn into the Naruto universe? As with all questions, it really depends. Meet Shiranui Hikari, a bibliophilic veteran who loved the anime Naruto in her first life who was reborn as Shiranui Genma's younger twin sister. Cross-posted on AO3
1. Those Halcyon Days of Childhood

The first sparks of awareness of my second life came to me in a muffled and cramped darkness. Later, I would realize this was a womb. Then, all I knew was that it was close and dark and comfortable. I pondered that was probably healing from some horrible injury.

Considering I was literally being reborn, I guess it was mostly true. Even if I still have no idea what killed me in my first life.

That period was a sort of half-wakefulness. I was aware enough to exist, but not enough to really realize it.

Being born made me realize just how good it is that children don't normally form any lasting memories until about four years old, because it was awful.

The first year of life was an exercise in frustration, being unable to see or move or speak or understand what was around me. It was not helped by the fact that I could feel something growing underneath my skin, which _itched, goddamn_.

So I cried...a _lot_.

When it finally occurred to me that I had been reborn, I also realized that I wouldn't be able to go _back_. Which, I had had regrets, and worries, things I hadn't gotten around to, but I couldn't change it, I was here and this was now. I had what I have, what I could hold onto with my own two hands.

I repeated the Serenity Prayer quite a bit in that second year of life; "God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to tell the difference." It kept me sane through the quiet nights when I'd miss my husband, my brother and sister, my dad and mom and friends.

I had a new brother, my twin Genma who was as small and pudgy-cheeked as I was, and a mother who was stately and elegant and absent a lot (on missions, I would later learn.)

My mother, Shiranui Samayako, was an in-demand seduction and assassination specialist, so she was away on missions often, leaving us in the care of a rotation of hired nanny-genin, including the ever-cheerful and unfailingly enthusiastic Eternal Genin Maito Dai, who was an ecstatic new father when I was turning three and putting all my attention to re-learning how to read.

This was the information that would let me realize when and where I was, the 'Naruto' universe, in the generation that produced Kakashi.

Maito Dai quickly became my favorite watcher. He was cheerful and hardworking and kind and he was always willing to answer questions.

And he made excellent curry, don't ask Genma, he likes _pumpkin broth_ , the freak.

Since I was so desperate for the autonomy I had enjoyed in my previous life, I didn't exactly bother to retard my progress like I probably should have and soon visibly outstripped my brother, especially in reading comprehension.

Apparently, I had been diagnosed with Chakra Hypersensitivity when I was a baby, which I was informed of by my flabbergasted mother when I demonstrated the logical conclusion to the one chakra control exercise Dai-san could do, the leaf-sticking trick.

It's kind of hard to argue that your daughter would never be able to use chakra because she would be in too much pain when she's cheerfully giggling while hanging upside down from the kitchen ceiling. At the time, all I had been thinking of was showing Genma why sticking a leaf to your forehead with chakra would be useful and fun.

Looking back, I think that's when the first whispers of genius and 'the next Tsunade' started.

When Genma and I were 5, we were enrolled in the Academy and were given the Academy entrance exam. Though Genma achieved an above average score, I managed the single highest score that had been achieved to that point. Because of this, I was slated for an accelerated course and early graduation.

The few years I spent in the Academy was mostly used to prepare for being a little girl in a profession where adults would occasionally be trying to kill me.

I figured looking cute and harmless would help, which is why, under the guise of imitating my perpetually well-dressed ninja mother, I started wearing fighting kimono and geta and studied tessen-jutsu diligently. Who would bother, I thought, with the little girl in the kimono when a big strong Jounin was trying to kill them? Well...at least until I broke their nose with my adorable geta-clad feet.

I finally let the Academy teachers badger me into taking the graduation exam at the tender age of 8 when they told me of little Hatake Kakashi, who was fully expected to pass when he took it that year.

I would find out later that my score for the graduation exam was the second highest they would have, beat out only by Namikaze Minato, who was an actual genius.

This is where I had counted my second childhood as ending, though I would later be disabused of that notion, introducing myself to my new Jounin-sensei, the 18-year-old Nara Shikaku, and my two genin teammates, the five-year-old Hatake Kakashi and the ten-year-old Minazuki Yuuki.

"My name is Shiranui Hikari. I like dango, yakitori, writing my name with the kanji for 'sparkle' and people who answer my questions. I dislike pickles and people who let their hate and fear form their opinions. My hobbies include reading, learning new chakra control techniques and thinking up new questions to ask. Last night I dreamed of an invisible flying Ramen Monster nudging history along by caressing people with his noodly appendages."

What? When in doubt, go all out.


	2. Sherlocking a Test

Well, that was certainly the blankest blank stare to have ever been blankly stared.

Do you think the Flying Ramen Monster was too much?

"Alright then," Shikaku-sensei muttered dryly. "Since Minazuki-kun can personally attest, graduating the Academy doesn't actually make you a full genin. The prospective jounin sensei each administer their own tests. Since I haven't decided on a test to administer yet, please meet me at Training Ground 17 tomorrow morning at ten, dismissed."

With that ominous warning, Shikaku-sensei left us alone. Turning to the oldest member of the team, I saw he had already turned to walk away, which...NOPE.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" I asked Yuuki while hurriedly grabbing Kakashi's arm, who was also trying to walk away. Sweet Sage, grant me patience to deal with the ignorant (please let them just be ignorant.)

"Well, it's not like I'm passing with either of you," Minazuki Yuuki told me, which... _what_?

"What exactly do you mean by _that_?" I asked, hoping for clarification. Kakashi quietly resigning himself to waiting us out. Or he was curious about whether or not he should feel insulted by Yuuki. I'd put money on the latter.

"You're both _babies_ and I'm on my last attempt for an actual genin team before I'm stuck in the Genin Corps. There's no way they're passing this team, not if they gave it to _Shikaku_ ," he sneered at me.

"What's wrong with Shikaku-san? And how does all this add up to us automatically failing whatever test Shikaku-san is going to give us?"

"They're not going to want little kids as genin, so they're probably already slated to return you both to the Academy, and they _really_ wouldn't want _Shikaku_ to be a jounin-sensei. He was kicked out of the Nara clan and denounced as heir because he broke his engagement for some two-bit chuunin whore," Yuuki near snarled.

"Okay," I said, "first, it's just as likely a point of pride that Konoha produces such naturally skilled shinobi that some of them can graduate the Academy at 5. Second, Shikaku=san sounds like a person who _already_ has experience telling the people above him to take a hike, and finally, I'm almost certain Shikaku-san would like to hear about where you heard his lady-friend being described like that, especially if he cares enough about her that he gave up being Clan Heir of a prestigious clan like the Nara to be with her," I explained. "It really sounds like all we've _really_ got to do is impress Shikaku-san tomorrow morning and it won't matter if they had us slated for returning to the Academy."

Kakashi seemed thoughtful, even if Yuuki had stayed distinctly sulky. Eh, I could work with that.

"If all we have to do is impress Shikaku-san," Kakashi said slowly, "then maybe we should work out what type of test he would give."

"To do that, we should probably find out what types of tests have been given," I said, quite happy to follow that train of logic. "So let's start with the nearest source of information! Yuuki-kun, what was the objective of the tests you failed!"

"How is that going to help?" Minazuki asked. "I've told you we've already failed, Shikaku hasn't even bothered to think of a test."

"Pshaw! It's not over until the report's been filed!" I yelled, poking Minazuki in the chest with one of my hand fans. "Now speak! Or Kakashi-kun and I will be forced to resort to aggressive information gathering techniques!"

Was it too much to start threatening torture?"

"Are you threatening to _torture_ our teammate?" Kakashi asked.

"He is withholding valuable information necessary to the completion of our objective! Unless he discloses it voluntarily, we must consider his reticence as enemy action!" Okay, maybe threatening torture was a bit much, but damnit, he was the first lead we had and he was being a poo-headed twit about it.

"Fine!" Minazuki exploded, "Hamamoto-san told us to try and trap him, we failed and he sent us back to the Academy."

"Okay," I said while pulling out a notepad and a pencil. "Who were your teammates and what did you try?"

"I don't remember who they were, and I tried a bunch of things," Minazuki grumbled.

"So you didn't try working together?" I asked while writing 'individual action' and circling it.

"How would that have helped?" Minazuki asked...which, seriously?

"He's a jounin and you were all fresh out of the Academy, how would you have possibly succeeded on your own?" I explained patiently. He scowled at me, but at least he now looked like he was _thinking_.

"You think all we had to do was work _together_ to pass?" Minazuki snorted, clearly still disbelieving.

"Why would the Academy teachers be so adamant about teamwork if it wasn't going to matter after graduating?" ahh... _Kakashi-kun_ , you're so adorable when you're logical!

"Right! Now, since we have a theory, we need to test it!" Little steps! "We'll go and interview other ninja and ask them about what their jounin-sensei tests were and how they did!"

As I pointed my fan randomly in truly dramatic fashion, it happened to align in sight of, wonder of wonders, Maito Dai. Perfect! Honest and willing information source! An early success will help convince my teammates of the proposed strategy! Especially with Minazuki grumbling about how we can't go around _asking_.

Of course, we can go around asking! The worst that can happen is we'll be detained for spying...which, since it would be patently ridiculous on more than one level, wouldn't be a problem.

"Dai-san!" I yelled while running towards the green-clad ninja, my teammates trailing after me. "Dai-san! We have a few questions if you have the time!"

As I expected, Dai-san turned, beamed and made a show of being _very happy_ to answer all of our questions. After a few minutes gaining some useful information for which I paid a small green origami turtle that Dai-san took with his usual small sappy smile followed by loud declarations of thanks and good luck wishes.


End file.
